Rosanne Cash's music has remained one of the constants in my life as a young adult. I've always felt a connection to her songs, even though I've never felt that "Seven Year Ache" or escaped from a hectic life by "Sleeping in Paris." After reading her new memoir,
Composed, it seems that we also share an inherent urgency to travel, an early love for language and a determination to build a life in music. Fortunately, Cash is further gifted with the ability to write concise lyrics with an interesting melody to match, plus her earthy singing voice is so revealing. All the while she remains rooted to country music through her father,
Johnny Cash, and their intimate connections to
the Carter Family, but continues the circle on her own terms.
It's incredible to me that Cash was only 24 years old when she wrote "Seven Year Ache," my favorite song in her catalog, and one that she'd probably call a "postcard from the future" -- her habit of projecting how things would turn out, then writing about what she thought it would feel like. Looking back at the earliest years of her fledgling career, around the same time she had purple hair, Cash writes that she had "attitude but no confidence, passion but very little real focus." Certainly, that's changed.
Cash is now 55, which allows her enough distance to appraise her own legacy. She dismisses some of her earlier work, but deservedly feels satisfied with career milestones like her
King's Record Shop album and
"September When It Comes," her striking duet with her father. Country fans will enjoy anecdotes about first meeting
Rodney Crowell,
Vince Gill and even
Patsy Cline, while Johnny Cash admirers will be happy for a glimpse into the relationship with his oldest daughter. Meanwhile, her chart history speaks for itself -- she notched 11 No. 1 country hits for Columbia Records in the 1980s.
I continue to find wisdom in her words, scribbling down this passage to bring focus to my own writing: "... as I get older I have found the quality of my attention to be more important, and more rewarding, than the initial inspiration." However, if you're skeptical about her prose skills, read her heartfelt eulogy for her stepmother,
June Carter Cash. It reduced me to tears. Beyond that,
Composed is an engaging read about humility, grief, family, creativity and just plain paying attention.
